Overview

• Refined beet sugar prices are down about 33% from a year ago to the lowest since 2019, with a supply overhang projected to persist through at least 2026.
• Nearly 9% of Americans now take GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic, and spending has fallen 6% on candy and chocolate and 10% on sweet bakery items, according to OC&C.
• U.S. farmers planted the smallest sugar beet acreage since 1982, and a near‑century‑old Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperativent in BrawBrawley, California, will close after processing its final crop.
• Growers report rising costs for labor, fuel, imported chemicals and multiple fungicide applications to combat cercospora leaf spot, forcing belt-tightening and deferred equipment purchases.
• The U.S. sugar program limits imports to support domestic supply, yet weaker demand and increased inflows have pressured the beet sector, while emerging research notes GLP-1 therapies can alter PET‑CT imaging and currently warrants documenting medication histories.